The present disclosure relates to methods and compositions for treating subterranean formations.
Treatment fluids can be used in a variety of subterranean treatment operations. As used herein, the terms “treat,” “treatment,” “treating,” and grammatical equivalents thereof refer to any subterranean operation that uses a fluid in conjunction with achieving a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. Use of these terms does not imply any particular action by the treatment fluid. Illustrative treatment operations can include, for example, drilling operations, fracturing operations, gravel packing operations, acidizing operations, completion operations, scale dissolution and removal, consolidation operations, and the like.
Treatment fluids often contain additives such as viscosifying agents, weighting agents, lubricants, pH corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, and scavengers. Each separate additive increases the cost and complexity of the operation. Typical viscosifying agents include xanthan or carbohydrate gums, cellulosic derivatives, and other polysaccharides. However, these may degrade in high temperature applications, potentially causing the treatment fluid to prematurely lose viscosity.
Treatment fluids are usually weighted with high density insoluble solids. However, these have a propensity to settle over time, potentially causing problems with production and inducing formation damage. Naphthalenic oils are sometimes used to increase density, but have a minor effect on density and raise health, safety, and environmental concerns. Cesium formate-based brines are often used as weighting agents, but cesium is not always sufficient to achieve the desired density, and it can be costly and unreliable due to cesium's rarity. Furthermore, cesium-based brines may cause stress corrosion cracking in the wellbore.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, such embodiments do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation should be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.